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BeyondBlue Hello! Read this if you're not sure how to get started
  • replies: 0

Welcome This section of the Beyond Blue Forums is for talking about our experiences with depression. There are lots of chats about how it makes us feel, what it’s like to live with depression and what has worked to help in these times. Thank you for ... View more

Welcome This section of the Beyond Blue Forums is for talking about our experiences with depression. There are lots of chats about how it makes us feel, what it’s like to live with depression and what has worked to help in these times. Thank you for coming this far, we know it can be really hard to take these steps if depression is in your life - we see you and think this is a great step. To get the most out of this space we have a few tips: Get involved. The Forums work best for you when you get active and post where you can. Now, we know that can be really hard, especially when you are experiencing depression. So, if you can post something supportive to someone else here, that would be an incredible start. Speak from the heart. This community wants to know how YOU feel and what has worked for YOU. We trust that you have something unique to say and we can’t wait to hear it. Check in. Lots of the discussions in this section of the Forums have been going for years and they are some of the richest conversations we have. Keep checking in to get new ideas and offer your support. We know it can be tough to start, but when you are ready we want to hear your thoughts. If you need some time to get to know the community, that's okay! Have a look around and see where you want to get involved. Thank you for being here! Beyond Blue

Jeriava How do I talk to my doctor?
  • replies: 9

I’ve been struggling with my life for the past 7-8 years but I finally made an appointment with a doctor. I feel really scared though because I don’t ever go to the doctor for anything, and I havent seen this doctor for so many years that I’m really ... View more

I’ve been struggling with my life for the past 7-8 years but I finally made an appointment with a doctor. I feel really scared though because I don’t ever go to the doctor for anything, and I havent seen this doctor for so many years that I’m really scared that they’ll judge me or won’t believe anything I say. I’m really anti social so I feel like I won’t be able to say what I wanna say or I’ll say the wrong thing causing them to just dismiss me and move me along without helping. I’m just tired of feeling alone, depressed and just worthless but I’m really scared to talk to them.

AGrace SELF HELP TIPS FOR MANAGING DEPRESSION
  • replies: 132

Hi Everyone, Here are some ideas you might like to try for managing symptoms of depression. Of course everyone's different, so let us know what works for you, and please feel free to add to the list... Mindfulness – through breathing or engaging the ... View more

Hi Everyone, Here are some ideas you might like to try for managing symptoms of depression. Of course everyone's different, so let us know what works for you, and please feel free to add to the list... Mindfulness – through breathing or engaging the 5 senses Distress Tolerance – Accepting Emotions and Self Soothing Distraction – Put the thoughts/feelings aside and come back to them when you are ready to deal with them Positive Affirmations – Have some affirmations written down repeat them to yourself daily Sleep/Exercise/Diet – All 3 aspects of our lifestyle can impact the way we think/feel Increasing Pleasurable Activities – Engage in at least one pleasurable activity per day

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Portia18 It seems never ending
  • replies: 7

Hello everyone, especially those who have replied to me before. I haven’t been on this forum since 2018 and so much has happened since then in my life, and of course, everyone else’s too. I’m a senior, with no family and the best support I get is fro... View more

Hello everyone, especially those who have replied to me before. I haven’t been on this forum since 2018 and so much has happened since then in my life, and of course, everyone else’s too. I’m a senior, with no family and the best support I get is from my doctor and a psychologist. There have been good stretches of time since 2018 but Covid brought on really bad depression and anxiety. I’ve managed to shake off the anxiety but still have depression. I think the isolation of covid has somehow brought forward so much pain and grief from my past that has been unresolved, not dealt with in any way. Things that caused me to feel hurt, insulted, unwanted, unloved, rejected, ignored, put-down, criticised - that I kept to myself, that I never shared my feelings about with anyone. I’ve talked so much with my doctor and psych but these thoughts have come up since I last saw either of them and now I don’t know how to deal with it, how to sort out this tangled mess I’m in. I’d be grateful for any feedback and thank you all in advance.

hasher22 Can't find a job, deflated, was on my A game now I have no motivation
  • replies: 5

Hey guys, Many people out there are doing it tough and I never thought I would land in the position I am now. I just want to say, we all go through very tough times and I hope we all make it out healthy, well, and soldiering on! I lost my job due to ... View more

Hey guys, Many people out there are doing it tough and I never thought I would land in the position I am now. I just want to say, we all go through very tough times and I hope we all make it out healthy, well, and soldiering on! I lost my job due to Covid in May. On jobseeker. I went from a nice 65k salary to jobseeker which is now roughly 20k (with the $250 supplement). Not to mention the supplement will go down further in Jan (if accepted!) My experience is niche, it's graphic design and there are like 150+ applicants to 1 job listing and it's very competitive. Pre-covid, every interview I have won the job, I loved my winning streak. Now, I've landed 3 interviews and I didn't get the job. Each rejection is putting me in a heavy state of depression. Most days I don't even have the will do being my old self back and constantly say to myself "whats the point?" Over the last 3 months, I've been spiraling down and getting worse. - I've stopped going to the gym because I can't afford it - I moved homes to pay cheaper rent - I stay in bed the majority of the day (roughly 15 hours in bed) - I rarely eat because I want to save the food for the next day - I don't want to see my friends because I know I will just bitch about the situation I am in, I am in misery and misery loves company (but I dont want to project misery) - I had to take off hospital cover from my health insurance - I don't listen to music anymore, it's weird I know, but I only listen to music when I am happy - I do most things in the dark because of electricity prices and try eat ready made stuff because of gas prices My life has flipped My best friends don't know the situation I am in. Both of them have jobs and both of them earn over 150k per year. I am quite stubborn in the sense that I can get through this myself but at the same time, I feel them just listening to me is not enough. I need to change and the only person that can do that is me. I have no family to go to except my mother who is quite elderly and every time I speak to her, I need to repeat myself like 5 times, and then she still doesn't get it. Every day, I look for jobs, I try to eat but all I keep thinking about is the money and how I am going down that hole no one wants to go into.

Em_Louise Getting help
  • replies: 5

Hello I have used this forum before a while ago, but I finally decided to get help. I went to my GP (a new one) and completed a K10 form thing, but my GP handed me a bulk-billed psychologist-clinic number - which is great. However, it is online, and ... View more

Hello I have used this forum before a while ago, but I finally decided to get help. I went to my GP (a new one) and completed a K10 form thing, but my GP handed me a bulk-billed psychologist-clinic number - which is great. However, it is online, and based on how little motivation I have right now I was sort of hoping for face to face type of help, but I sorta froze and shut down in my appointment so I didn’t get to really explain what I was looking for oops. I’m aware he did this so I could avoid out of pocket expenses, but I thought there was a 10 session free/ cheap with Medicare? Which is what a friend had told me, and what I was going in for. Next week my GP is planning to set up a mental health care plan so should I bring up that I don’t want to do the online clinic, and ask about the 10 or so sessions with the care plan. sorry if this doesn’t make a ton of sense, I’m just wondering what anyone else would do in this situation/ or has anyone else had experience with getting those 10 free/discounted sessions and could drop some advice Thank you in advance !! Xx

DisplayName5742 Experiencing a Relapse
  • replies: 2

Hello All, Recently started feeling like I had gotten over my depression, and it was great. However, in recent weeks I've felt my mood dip again. My sleep pattern has gone out the window because I want to sleep all the time. Eating habits have change... View more

Hello All, Recently started feeling like I had gotten over my depression, and it was great. However, in recent weeks I've felt my mood dip again. My sleep pattern has gone out the window because I want to sleep all the time. Eating habits have changed and I'm struggling to find any motivation. I've thought about what could have caused this. All I can put it down to is being overworked. In the span of a month I moved house, had my Uni workload increase (studying part-time) and work started dumping a bunch of hours on me. The move is all done and I'm settled in, I spoke to my scheduler about cutting my hours, which they did. My next focus was Uni, now I only have one more assignment left. It wasn't until I got on top of my Uni work (about two weeks ago) that the warning signs started. Don't get why it's started up now. Although I have dealt with his before, it's knocked my feet out from underneath me. A little background information, my last lot of depression was severe and lasted years. This is due to domestic abuse, that I have started recovering from finally. I feel I shouldn't be surprised about the relapse, but I am. I hate feeling like this again. I just want it to go away... Earlier today I tried calling my counselor and left a message. Hoping to have an appointment soon to get this sorted. In the meantime, I wanted to get everything off my chest. Here seemed like the perfect place to do that. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this. Regards, DisplayName5742

K_Alex Bipolar 1
  • replies: 6

Hullo everyone, i am going through a really bad trip in my life. My mind is as clouded as ever to the point where i would sob quietly in a corner alone as i do not want my kids to see me. My wife has Bipolar 1. She wants a divorce. She is having a ma... View more

Hullo everyone, i am going through a really bad trip in my life. My mind is as clouded as ever to the point where i would sob quietly in a corner alone as i do not want my kids to see me. My wife has Bipolar 1. She wants a divorce. She is having a manic episode and its the second time. I didnt pick up the signs until it was too late. She doesnt want the kids nor does she want to even hear my voice as it irritates her. She is starting a new business venture and she thinks that we are hindering her chance of success. She is doing the similar business when she had her first episode which failed. I did my research and is much prepared the second time. I am leaving her alone to do what she has to do. But one thing that got me is that i didnt know that someone can get a manic episode while on anti depressant. She is still peaking and i am dreading the moment she crashes. Last time she tried to kill herself. First i would like to ask anyone if they had or know of someone who had a manic episode while on anti-depressant. And secondly, what can I do to prepare her for the crash. I am going through a lot of hardship while trying my best to keep my head out of the water and be as objective in my reasoning. I really want to save my marriage because she deserves it and i wont be able to live with myself if one day we divorce and she commits suicide.

SHELBY MUSTANG Quit my job due to depression and anxiety
  • replies: 35

Hi all my first post. I recently resigned from my corporate job and have 1 and a half weeks till I finally leave, early May. The job pays 80k and I have no other job lined up, luckily I have managed to save money up but I could not cope anymore as my... View more

Hi all my first post. I recently resigned from my corporate job and have 1 and a half weeks till I finally leave, early May. The job pays 80k and I have no other job lined up, luckily I have managed to save money up but I could not cope anymore as my depression was overwhelming me and my workload was ever increasing. The company is very disorganised and I was given no training or handover with 4 major projects and management didnt care they expected me to deliver by working unpaid overtime. It came to a head one day when I started crying at my desk, luckily no one saw me. The work colleagues are horrible and evil, one of them was making fun of me saying I was going to fail in delivering one of the projects and another guy said I was too ugly to have a girl friend. I have been single for a very long time but have a few close female friends but I m in the friend zone only which probably only adds to my depression and loneliness. The sheer workload every day makes me anxious and I struggle to get out of bed on workdays, even on my days off I cannot sleep and when I do I get out of bed at 1-2pm as I have no motivation whatsoever. I have told them I am leaving for personal reasons as I plan to spend time with my elderly mother, I did not trust them to tell them I was depressed and unhappy in the company and my role. I actually asked for 3 months Long Service Leave but they said we were too busy and they couldn't let me have time off. I have 9 weeks sick leave and I sometimes think I should have taken the sick leave instead but I know deep down I hate the job and the company and all that will do is delay the inevitable. I m scared of not having a job especially when I was paid a decent salary, I haven't looked for one as I don't know what to do, I don't think I can work anymore in evil greedy Corporate Companies that use you, I was only making the Execs rich working all the extra hours. But I realise my mental health is suffering and I have to walk away from all the noise and get my health, happiness, motivation and passion back. Its actually hard for me to apply for other jobs when I m so depressed all the time as this will show up in job interviews, its hard to hide. I am worried when I apply for jobs the fact I quit will go against me, but I did work for my current company for almost 10 years. Has anyone been or is in a similar situation and give me advice, I m so unhappy all the time and hope it will lift when I walk out the door.

Succulent Queen Managing Loneliness
  • replies: 1

How do YOU do it? Depression can affect connectivity with others and in doing so often creates an emotional by-product of loneliness. The loneliness can occur even when you're speaking with people (albeit a slightly better version). If we can't conne... View more

How do YOU do it? Depression can affect connectivity with others and in doing so often creates an emotional by-product of loneliness. The loneliness can occur even when you're speaking with people (albeit a slightly better version). If we can't connect with others or receive social acceptance, how do we manage the ensuing loneliness? How do you do it? Please feel welcome to share your tricks, distractions and methods for managing loneliness.

Beck__ Please help!!!!
  • replies: 1

Hi. Quick back story I have 2 beautiful boys from a previous relationship and 2 to my partner. Anyway he treats my boys like crap always yelling at them and not letting them be kids. The other day he yelled at my son in such a horrible way I stepped ... View more

Hi. Quick back story I have 2 beautiful boys from a previous relationship and 2 to my partner. Anyway he treats my boys like crap always yelling at them and not letting them be kids. The other day he yelled at my son in such a horrible way I stepped in and than he proceeded to tell me I was a bad mother because I hadn't started dinner! It was 5:30 and I was getting ready for night shift. I told him, he needed to leave now! He is still in our home begging me to give him another chance. I don't know what to do. He has really bad depression and anxiety, he also has two children he doesn'take effort to go see, he is in a shit load of debt he won't pay. I'm stressed and am so confused. I need to protect my children but I don't know what I'm meant to do

llamalover23 No one knows what to do with me
  • replies: 16

Basically what the title says. I’ve had severe depression And anxiety for about 4 years And have been trying to treat it for over 3. absolutely nothing works. I continually ask for help and no one knows what to do with me. i’ve gone to several gps. I... View more

Basically what the title says. I’ve had severe depression And anxiety for about 4 years And have been trying to treat it for over 3. absolutely nothing works. I continually ask for help and no one knows what to do with me. i’ve gone to several gps. I’ve found one that I get on with but it seems like he doesn’t know what to do with me. I’ve been on 4 different medications and they never made any difference to my mood, some made it even worse. I’m not willing to try any SSRIs or SNRIs due to the risk of PSSD, and alternative antidepressants are outrageously expensive and haven’t worked for me. I’ve been in and out of counselling for years. I saw a uni counsellor but after a few sessions they told me I was too severe and referred me to private psychs I couldn’t afford. I had 10 sessions with headspace this year through my MHCP and it was an absolute disaster. I never made any progress and I wasn’t given a discharge plan. I’ve tried contacting a few organisations but I’m never elligible or they aren’t taking on new clients. Seeing a psychologist might be useful but it’s not something I can afford to do privately. i actively exercise and have made diet changes, I meditate and do mindfulness, I have to do lists, I keep busy, I leave the house and socialise with others. I don’t do drugs and I cut down alcohol. I’ve also tried just about every online CBT program there is and they never make any difference. I have no history of trauma and no ongoing environmental issues at all. I’m constantly anxious and always miserable. I just want somebody to help me. There’s this narrative in society that if mentally ill people just ‘reached out’ they’d get better, and it’s a complete lie. I have reached out to people thousands of times, and no one knows how to help me. I only get told ‘good job’ for trying and that if ‘i keep it up things will improve’. It’s a lie and it never gets better even after several years. i guess I’m just looking for some help and advice from you guys, because I’m certainly not getting any from the mental healthcare system.

Chicken_little Alone
  • replies: 1

I’ve had depression for a long time and it’s comes in waves. With everything happening in the world and some things in my life personally, I’m finding myself back in “that place”. I’m surrounded by people, but I feel alone. Like a burden who nobody u... View more

I’ve had depression for a long time and it’s comes in waves. With everything happening in the world and some things in my life personally, I’m finding myself back in “that place”. I’m surrounded by people, but I feel alone. Like a burden who nobody understands. I have a partner, but I can tell I wear on him. He’s also not emotional in the same way as I am, so doesn’t offer hugs or kind words as a natural response. i “know” lots of people, but there isn’t really anyone I feel close to in a way that I would confide in them. I guess the thing that eats at me the most is that my mum lives in the uk. She has always been my best friend, she understands me, she knows what to say, she gives the best hugs and she is so far away. She is also terminally ill. Shes been fighting for a few years, there is no sign I’m going to lose her imminently, but the longer she is ill, the more losing her weighs on me. I’m also conscious that some of the things I cry about or fear are so minuscule in comparison to what she has to deal with. Who do I turn to of not my best friend? How do I cope with losing her? How do I cope with this preemptive grief?